Classroom of the Elite: Legacy

V.2-Ch.4.5

Ogawa

Advanced Nurturing High School; Courtyard

I was in the school courtyard with my personal camera in my hands, sitting down on the same bench as I did yesterday. I had planned to take pictures as usual, but I was lost in my train of thought as I looked down, continuing to think about the upcoming meeting.

"I can't..." I muttered quietly to myself.

I was still scared. I couldn't bring myself to speak yet. I didn't have much time to practice, and if I don't speak when the meeting comes, I won't be able to help Tsukamoto and Horikita at all.

I sighed. "I have to... I can do this... I know I can..." I stood up and walked away to head back to my room. But when I took a step... "Woah!" I suddenly tripped, falling to the ground and letting go of my camera. "Ggh...!" As I slowly stood back up and recovered, I started looking around for my camera. And that's when I saw it on the ground, broken into pieces. "N-No!" I hastily went over and picked up the pieces, one by one. "No..." I said with a frown on my face.

"What are you doing?"

Just then, I saw a shadow appear and looked up to see Furukawa, standing in front of me. Underneath the shade of the tree, his dark-gray eyes looked pitch-black, and his face-so blank and expressionless-looked so terrifying.

"Eek!" I let out a small scream, startled by his presence and backed away. Furukawa tilted his head, then looked down at the ground where my camera fell. He stared at it for a moment, then bent down and started picking up the rest of the pieces. "Eh...?"

Surprised, I stared at him as he grabbed the pieces of my camera one by one. He was gently picking them up, making sure it wouldn't break any further. Once he had all of them, he came towards me.

"Here."

I stared at him for a moment, then stared at the pieces he had in his hand. "T-Thank you, Furukawa-kun..." I grabbed them and as I was about to stand up, he lent me his hand. Surprised by this kind gesture, I looked up and stared at him again.

This person...this boy. He looked so scary and so terrifying. Yet...up close, there was a hint of kindness I saw in his eyes. Without realizing it at first, I took his hand and stood up, facing him directly.

"U-Um...F-Furukawa-kun, t-thank you..." I said quietly. "U-Um...w-why did you help me?"

"You're my classmate. And besides, it looked like you needed help."

"I-I see. Well...thank you, really..." Moving on, I looked down at the broken camera I had. It was still intact, but some of the pieces had come off, showing the inside. Seeing this, I frowned. "It's broken now..."

"It is. You may need to go to the store to have it fixed," he suggested.

"T-The store?!" I said. "B-But, I can't! T-That means I have to...talk to someone in person..."

"Ogawa, how did you manage to survive at this school if you haven't talked to many people?" he asked.

Hearing that, I went silent and I blushed from embarrassment. "W-W-Well, I usually buy the things I need online! You know, ordering food or items to my room and stuff..."

With his blank expression, Furukawa stared at me. "...If you want, I can come along with you."

"R-Really?" He nodded, then I let out a sigh of relief. "I-I see. If you're coming with me, then...maybe I'll be fine."

"Will the photos be alright?"

From my camera, I pulled the memory card out and looked at it front and back. "It's only a few scratches, but I think it's fine." Furukawa remained silent, continuing to stare at me. "D-Don't worry! This memory card doesn't have the photos we need! I have another memory card with the photos safe in my room!"

"I see."

"...Or..." I nervously looked at the memory card I held in my hands. "At least I think so..."

"...I see."

Hearing the difference in his tone of voice, I immediately bowed. "I-I'm sorry, Furukawa-kun! I'm so sorry!" I apologized.

Furukawa turned around. "It's fine. Whether it's that memory card or another, we'll figure it out. Seeing that it's getting dark, do you mind going tomorrow after class?"

"S-Sure, that's fine with me." Furukawa stared at me for a moment, then turned and walked away from me. "...He...doesn't bite at all..."